With about 17 weeks left before this baby makes an appearance, time is starting to pass faster and faster. There seems to be so much to do. We currently own nothing but a swing, that was our first and only purchase for the new one and came quickly because our good friends Kendyl and Mary gave us a tip that it was half the regular price and their new little man, Elliot, really enjoyed his. Rob liked the swing when he saw it at their house, and as a person who has seen very little baby gear in his life, Rob liking something made the decision easy. We have a swing! We have nothing else.
This will come, we have offers of several hand-me-down items and this is just perfect. I'd love to have all hand-me-downs or used things, as gifts or loaner items. I also need to get into garage sale mode, scouting them out for baby items. This probably means getting up early on Saturday mornings which I'm reluctant to do. I've got about 17-18 weeks left to sleep in on Saturday mornings and I intend to take advantage of that. If only there were late night garage sales!

A $h-tload of info

All this for poo?! Yes, indeed. Cloth diapering is not as simple as it once was. And there are no pins!

Rob and I took a cloth diaper class last week. It is our first formal instruction of any kind in preparation for bringing a person into the world and caring for it. The class itself was too long (more on that in a minute) but provided basic information on the wide varities of styles, sizes, and fit of different diapers. Apparently we are lucky to have the Cotton Babies store right here in our city, as it is Cloth Diaper Mecca. People from all over the country order their diapers from this place, and there is only one brick and mortar store. It happens to be 15 minutes from our house. For two hours we listened to an expert/store owner talk about how we can be environmentally friendly and health conscious and pack our child's bottom with leakproof, organic, well-fitting and cute cotton, hemp, wool, and synthetics that will not end up in a landfill. You can even buy used diapers!

The information was helpful but quite overwhelming. One can spend anywhere from $150 to $500 or more to diaper your new one and this hurts the budget a bit but in the long run will save much more than springing for disposables every week or month for the 2-3 years our child needs diapers. Cloth diapering also saves not only waste from being dumped into landfills but also water because, though it takes an extra load of laundry every couple of days, producing the actual disposables and having them delivered to stores near you is supposedly a greater use of water and petroleum resources. Overall, the idea is great but the amount of choices and up front cost are intimidating. We have many decisions to make and this goes on the list. All in ones? One size? Inserts or pockets? We'll have to discuss.

What we won't discuss was the group therapy that broke out near the end of cloth diaper class. Rob was the only male present at cloth diaper class. We were the only couple, and the only ones who showed up on time. We also were the only participants who did not take a cell phone call at least once during the class. As if that were not annoying enough, the straw that broke Rob's back was the question posed by one of the more frequent cell phone talkers to the diaper expert leading the class "So how do you get your husband involved more with diapering and changing the baby?"

I should add that this class was free.

It's a Cardinals Fan!!

Today I went to my first Cardinals game of the season and the little dude kicked throughout the game. I say "kicked" not knowing for sure what type of movements I am feeling, nothing as specific as a foot or a hand. The movements are hard to describe, though I feel like I should try for someone reading who has never felt this before.

I have been able to feel movements in my gut for about 3 weeks now, almost 4. At first, they were small tickles from way inside. I never confused them with "gas" as some websites and apparently some pregnant women like to do. This was no gas. The tickles got stronger, and it felt like someone brushing up against you as they walked by- only from the inside. As weeks have passed, I now feel waves of movement, and think this is perhaps our little fetus flipping around. At the 20 week scan the tech said he/she can move in any direction and while we were there, it went from being vertex (totally horizontal across my uterus) to head up and vertical, or breech. She typed b-r-e-e-c-h on one slide and I said wait a minute, I thought that kid was vertex?! I don't like that word breech, even if it can still turn itself around. I want a nice, smooth, headdown delivery in a few months. The tech said not to worry, that the fetus can move in any direction. So this is what I feel.

Sometimes the movement is more of a jab and this has to be foot or hand I am guessing. Other times, a larger section of my belly feels like it is moving so perhaps this is a butt or a head moving against the uterine walls. Rob can feel the movement now from the outside, not consistently, but if the fetus is moving I can have him wait for what probably seems like forever until he feels the faint shift of activity. I must mention that my sister is the first person besides Rob or I to feel him/her move. Two days ago, Katie and I were picking out my dress for her wedding and I felt movement so asked her to feel if she cared to. She did, and was rewarded with a solid kick.

So today, while at the game, I think the movement was almost constant. It is the most active that I have ever felt the little one. Obviously it enjoyed Pujols' 2 homeruns, Ankiel's 1 homer and diving catch, and the Cardinals 12-8 victory over the Mets as much as I did.

21 Weeks

This week is the 21st week, and as of today I am 21 weeks, 3 days pregnant. The fetus is now the size of a banana according to Babycenter which puts out an e-mail comparing your future child to fruit weekly.

Bear in mind that this is the average length, about a banana, but obviously the fetus is much more filled out. Usually the e-mails compare your pregnancy to round, easy to understand fruits. For example, at various times our fetus has been a kumquat, a large heirloom tomato, and a lemon.

Our fetus is also large for its age already. The average fetus is 10.58 ounces at the 20 weeks ultrasound, and ours was an even 1 pound. That is 5.5 oz larger than average, or 150% of the weight he or she "should" be.

We're going to have a giant.

The First Photo

Our ultrasound was on Monday, April 13, 2009. Hopefully all will go well and no more ultrasounds will be needed. This means that our only peek at our new little person is the one you see here. We'll get a better look around Labor Day of 2009. We did not take a peek at the gender, so that announcement will happen around the same time. So far, Michael Schreiner has pointed out to us that he or she bears a striking resemblence to the fetus at the end of the Drew Carey show intro.

Get in my belly

This is what I looked like at 19 weeks. I will add the "before" photos shortly. I don't look terribly pregnant, and no stranger would think I was. If you know me, though, you may notice a little paunch there.

Before Shots

This is me at 8 weeks, basically a "before shot" or a baseline for how my belly looks normally. I had not grown at all here. The embryo was the size of a blueberry, I believe.
The following 3 photos are me at 14 weeks. A very small fetus is in there now, and my belly was starting to grow just a bit. Still, my pants were not at all tight and most required a belt still.

Better Late than Never!!

I've had requests for information ranging from personal details to photos, so I've decided the time has come to start a blog. This is Lynn, I am currently 21 weeks pregnant with the first child that Rob and I have ever attempted to bring forth and parent and this is our adventure.

The lateness of beginning a blog is in keeping with the spirit of the entire pregnancy journey so far. We told very few people early on that we were expecting, and many of our friends are just now hearing the news. Please don't take it personally. I am feeling great and not looking so knocked up at all, so there just seemed very little reason to talk about it ad nauseum. We are excited and scared and just about everything else that goes along with anticipating a major life change.

We anticipate the arrival of the little Fingerhawk sometime after August 30, his or her estimated due date (known in natural childbirth circles as the "guess date").

Please enjoy.